§ 48-0109. Agency responsibilities.

Terms Used In N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law 48-0109

  • Advisory group: means the permanent environmental justice advisory group established by section 48-0105 of this article. See N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law 48-0103
  • Agency: means any state department, agency, board, bureau, commission, division, office, council, or any public authority or public benefit corporation. See N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law 48-0103
  • Environmental justice: means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, religion, national origin or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of laws, regulations and policies affecting the quality of the environment. See N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law 48-0103

1. Each state agency that engages in activities or operations that have a significant effect on the environment, including but not limited to through the adoption of rules and regulations, issuance of permits, acquisition or maintenance of property, or approval, funding or undertaking of projects, shall be guided in its decision making on such activities or operations by an environmental justice policy. Each such agency shall adopt rules and regulations setting forth its environmental justice policy not later than two years after the adoption of a model environmental justice policy pursuant to section 48-0107 of this article.

2. Each state agency subject to the requirements of subdivision one of this section shall:

(a) appoint a staff member of the agency to serve as environmental justice coordinator, to provide information to the public on the policies, activities and operations of the agency related to environmental justice and to act as liaison to the environmental justice advisory group;

(b) notify the advisory group of the appointment of an environmental justice coordinator; and

(c) develop an environmental justice training plan which includes the provision of workshops and written materials to appropriate staff regarding environmental justice and implementation of the agency's environmental justice policy.